After dinner with a friend, said friend asked for recommendations for good quote books. Since I don’t have any, I told her going to a bookstore and browsing was her best bet.

And what better time than right then?

So we headed to Barnes & Noble, and I all-too-quickly loaded up my arms with boooooookkkksss. My favorite thing.

Here’s what I got:

What initially caught my eye aboutBellman & Blackwasn’t that I’d heard about it before, or that I was a fan of the author’s. No, it was the cover. I just dig a cool book cover.

Then I read the back cover blurb, and I was in:

Caught up in a moment of boyhood competition, William Bellman recklessly aims his slingshot at a rook resting on a branch, killing the bird instantly. It is a small but cruel act, and is soon forgotten. By the time he is grown, with a wife and children of his own, William seems to have put the whole incident behind him. It was as if he never killed the thing at all. But rooks don’t forget…

Years later, when a stranger mysteriously enters William’s life, his fortunes begin to turn—and the terrible and unforeseen consequences of his past indiscretion take root. In a desperate bid to save the only precious thing he has left, he enters into a rather strange bargain, with an even stranger partner. Together, they found a decidedly macabre business.

And Bellman & Black is born.

I’m always looking for great tools and resources to help me become a better writer…especially since I’ve been struggling with writer’s block on and off for the past couple of years.

I’ve been wanting a copy of Gray’s Anatomyfor years now. I think it’s a must-have resource for writers and editors, particularly if and when the body and all of its parts come into play (think: fight scene, details about character’s injuries, etc.). This one includes the classic illustrations (see below), and it had a super affordable price tag.

So, yeah. Now I can know everything about anatomy. BOOM.

Who doesn’t love getting a card in the mail? I’ve recently gotten more into sending notecards (thanks to the same friend who accompanied me to B&N the night I acquired these great finds), and these cards by Preserve Brands caught my eye. They’re handmade and brightly colored, on heavy and textured paper…and I love the flowers.

I mean, look at those sweet embossed flowers.

In college, I took an existentialism class and LOVED it. I was introduced to Dostoevsky, Sartre, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche, among others. So when I walked by a display with this copy of Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, there was no hesitation.

And these uneven, rustic pages. I love these pages.

Last, but certainly not least, I picked up a hardcover copy of Laline Paull’s The Bees.First, look at that cover in detail:

Now read the back cover blurb:

Flora 717 is a sanitation worker, a member of the lowest caste in her orchard hive where work and sacrifice are the highest virtues and worship of the beloved Queen the only religion. But Flora is not like other bees. With circumstances threatening the hive’s survival, her curiosity is regarded as a dangerous flaw but her courage and strength are an asset. She is allowed to feed the newborns in the royal nursery and then to become a forager, flying alone and free to collect pollen. She also finds her way into the Queen’s inner sanctum, where she discovers mysteries about the hive that are both profound and ominous.

But when Flora breaks the most sacred law of all—daring to challenge the Queen’s fertility—enemies abound, from the fearsome fertility police who enforce the strict social hierarchy to the high priestesses jealously wedded to power. Her deepest instincts to serve and sacrifice are now overshadowed by an even deeper desire, a fierce maternal love that will bring her into conflict with her conscience, her heart, her society—and lead her to unthinkable deeds.

Call me crazy, but THAT sounds badass.

What books have you recently purchased, and which are you most stoked to read?

Freewrite Update!

I know – you’re wondering what the hell happened with my Freewrite. Well, as I mentioned earlier, there were technical difficulties. The good news? A Freewrite that works perfectly is now in my possession, so the writing has commenced.

Expect a thorough review in a month or two.

*Want to buy any of the books mentioned here? Click on the links to purchase from Amazon; since I’m an affiliate, your purchase will help me keep this blog going (i.e., I’ll earn money to buy books that I will then write about).*